A New Path
by Linables
Summary: A bit of BRooken for you all. Nothing revolutionary or incredibly creative, but hopefully a nice little insight into my ideas for Ben and Rook's future. Rating may rise up if there's demand.
1. Chapter 1

**A New Path  
** Chapter 1

Ben frowned as he looked himself up and down in the mirror. He took a few steps back to see below his knees and turned to the side, as if doing so would drastically alter his appearance. It didn't.

"I'm eighteen already, and I run around every day and lift stuff. When are the muscles gonna kick in?"

Ben knew he was going to be more built one day. He'd seen Ben 10,000 many times, and that was his future, right? That was going to happen someday? Well, at least in some timelines it would happen. Ben sighed. Even after dealing with it for years, space-time mechanics and different timelines and everything Paradox had taught him was still confusing.

As far as he understood it, it was written in stone that he would become Ben 10,000, marry Kai Green, and have a son named Kenny in at least one timeline. But he'd met many Bens from different timelines which had branched off at some point in his life. That meant that other timelines could branch off at any...well, time, right? That maybe in some versions of reality, he didn't grow up to be Ben 10,000 and have that life?

Ben sulked childishly for a bit as he pondered never gaining those muscles. But then his train of thought came to a fork in the tracks and chugged on down a new route, as it often did when Ben let himself think about different timelines. Yes, he'd been down this route before, although he tried to avoid it. Not because it was unpleasant - rather on the contrary. It was kind of _too_ pleasant. And since Ben wasn't even 100% sure how the timeline thing worked, he couldn't guarantee that this particular thing was even possible. If it turned out not to be, he'd just be letting himself down. But how could it not be possible? Why couldn't it happen? Some other version of him in some other timeline would fulfill whatever "destinies" he'd been informed of.

Some other version of him that didn't have a crush on his partner. His very alien, very male, and very _probably-shouldn't-like-him-this-way_ partner.

Ever since he had met Rook a couple of years ago, Ben had had a soft spot for the Revonnahgander. At first he had tried his best to not get friendly with his new partner, the goodbyes with Gwen and Kevin still hurting and the fear of being left again bubbling up. But within weeks Ben found himself incapable of escaping the Rook's charms, and begrudgingly allowed himself to call Rook a friend. This friendship had stood through many tests, and it was while they were on a spaceship one night, returning from a mission, that it had bridged another gap. On Ben's part, at least.

He was sat next to Rook, playing a game on his phone, when he idly quipped that he couldn't wait to get back to Bellwood for chili fries. And he hadn't been kidding, having missed his favourite food for the past week off planet. Ben then glanced over at Rook and caught the moment when a warm, amused smile spread over his face. Ben didn't know why he was smiling, and Rook himself didn't really know either. Perhaps it was the simple joy of knowing that with their success on this mission, they still had the privilege of being able to enjoy their favourite meals. Or perhaps he just liked to see Ben be happy. In any case, the expression was genuine.

Ben smiled back, and in the span of a heartbeat or two, something had changed between them. Ben was of course no stranger to physical change, as he went through it every day at will, but this was something different. Nothing shifted in his DNA, but it felt as though something had shifted in his brain; clicked into place. Ben felt a somewhat familiar rush of emotions fill his chest, albeit somehow clearer than ever before.

He liked Rook. He _liked_ Rook.

This crush had persisted for some time now, and Ben had been forced to tread carefully around his partner. It felt great, as crushes usually do, but it opened up a whole new can of worms as well. Ben was determined to not let his feelings affect his working life with Rook, and he had succeeded for the most part. He was pretty sure Rook hadn't ever caught him stealing glances at him while they rode in the Proto-TRUK or patrolled Undertown on foot.

The whole timelines and destinies and what-have-you business was also an issue, although Ben often came to the same conclusion he had today when his thoughts slipped into this territory. If there were so many versions of him in so many other timelines, and the possibility for new timelines to branch off at any time, why couldn't it be possible? Not all timelines should have to lead to the same final destination.

But even if the universe would allow it, Ben thought gloomily, there was no guarantee that Rook would ever return his feelings. Rook and Rayona had amicably broken up as Rook's career on Earth kept them apart ever longer, and Rook hadn't started dating anyone else. Still, there was nothing telling that he even swung that way, let alone had feelings for Ben. At least Ben himself hadn't picked up on it. For once, he hoped he was being dense and overlooking something.

What were Revonnahgander's views on homosexuality anyway? Ben realised that he had no idea, since the topic had never come up. Suddenly immensely curious, Ben wondered who he could ask. Asking Rook would seem way too obvious...Ben knew that he wasn't exactly known for his subtlety. Who else did he know who could help him? As he came to a realisation soon after, Ben quickly headed out of his house and made his way to the Plumber's headquarters.

The first person he ran into after arriving in the central control room was Magister Patelliday, who arched an eyebrow, surprised to see Ben when he wasn't on active duty.

"Ben, what brings you here? I thought you said you were going to steer well clear now that you finally got a day off!"

"Yeah, yeah, I was gonna." Ben started, waving off the question. "But something came up. Could you, uh...put me in contact with Rook Shar?"

Patelliday seemed a bit puzzled, but then again, he had heard much stranger things from Ben. He warily made his way over to the communications system in the room.

"Any particular reason you need to get in contact with your partner's sister?" he asked while pressing some buttons.

Ben pushed through a sudden rush of nervousness and tried to stay as nonchalant as possible.

"Just have a simple question for her, that's all. No biggie."

Patelliday looked like he only halfway believed the response, but let it go anyway, leaving the room once he had started the call for Ben. As long as the kid didn't blow up the control room, his personal calls were none of his business.

"Hello? This is Rook Shar," came over the speaker several moments later, and a screen flickered to life with an image of the young woman's face.

"Hey Shar, it's me, Ben." Ben smiled and waved at the screen.

"Ben! Hello! Good to hear from you! I trust you and my brother are doing well there on Earth?"

"Yeah, we're doing good, nothing of cosmic importance has happened recently. Look, uh, Shar, could you...could you maybe answer a question for me? Really quick?"

Shar looked a bit confused but nodded her head anyway, curious as to what was getting Ben visibly worked up. If nothing of importance had happened, what was so urgent?

"Okay, so…" Ben started, breaking eye contact with the Shar before forcing himself to look back up. "I was wondering...and I have a good reason, I swear...if you could answer some things about Revonnahgander culture for me?"

"Alright…" Shar said, drawing out the word. Now she was really curious.

"Cool. So what I wanted to know is...what are Revonnahgander views on, uh, homosexuality?"

Ben found his heart beating a little bit faster, realising just how much he cared about the answer. Shar blinked a couple of times, then seemed to grin for a nanosecond. Ben wasn't even sure if he'd seen that correctly, but he could swear that for a moment, Shar seemed to know exactly what the subtext to his question was. Before Ben had time to decide how he felt about that, Shar began to speak.

"Well, since Revonnah has such a family-centric culture, and birthing children is still an important part of many unions, homosexual relationships are quite rare. When one does happen, though, it is more or less accepted. At the most, it might be seen as a minor nuisance by family members who were expecting someone to have natural born children, but it is not put under the sort of scrutiny that it can be put under on Earth. If I understand correctly, much of Earth's aversion to homosexuality is derived from scripture. There is no such scripture on Revonnah which speaks against homosexuality, so the degree of aversion is relatively low."

Ben took this in with uncharacteristic silence, and felt a kind of weight lift off of his shoulders once Shar finished speaking. At least this was good news. Even if Rook never felt the same way, at least he was unlikely to be disgusted by Ben's feelings on principle. Ben looked at the screen and smiled.

"Thanks, Shar. That's all I wanted to know. I don't wanna keep you from Plumber stuff for too long anyway."

Shar smirked good-naturedly and shifted the blaster in her hand.

"Any time, Ben Tennyson. Say hello to my brother for me when you see him, alright?"

"Sure thing, Shar. See you later!"

The two exchanged quick waves goodbye and Ben ended the call, making the screen go black.

So, sudden new crisis averted. But this left Ben back at his original square one. He wasn't sure if he should risk telling Rook how he felt. Maybe he should just wait a while longer, and see if he could pick up on any signs that Rook liked him back? Maybe he should ask for more help? Shar did seem to have an inkling of what was going on, in any case. Sighing to himself, Ben trudged out of the Plumber's base. Maybe a smoothie would calm him down.


	2. Chapter 2

**A New Path  
** Chapter 2

Gwen liked to think of herself as quite observant when it came to other's feelings. She didn't always read people correctly, but she was getting better at it all the time. Studying magic required one to be very in tune with one's own thoughts and emotions, which in turn boosted the magic user's ability to sense thoughts and emotions in others. It was especially easy to read people one was close to and had a rapport with.

Because of this, Gwen was 100% sure she was correct about the kind of feelings her cousin and his partner had for each other. Honestly, she thought, it was so obvious that others must have picked up on it as well. Others, but not the ones in question themselves. As far as Gwen had seen, both Ben and Rook were woefully ignorant of each other's attraction. Maybe they were just too close to each other to have picked up on the change, having been partners for two years now.

It was sad to watch them miss the signs and dance around each other's feelings. Even though Ben had always been an annoying dweeb who got on her nerves - and probably would always continue to be - Gwen loved him and wanted to see him happy. He was family, after all, and with all they had been through together, he was more like a brother than a cousin. She had a great fondness for Rook as well, seeing how wonderfully his cool, calculated rigour complemented Ben's explosive passion.

This was why she had finally decided to do something to help the two, if only slightly nudging them in the right direction. Ben and Rook had come to Friedkin University for the day, and the latter had joined her for a lecture which was open to the public. Having no desire to listen to a lecture, Ben had gone off somewhere with Kevin. 'As long as you're back by five and you and the campus are in one piece, go wild', Gwen had advised, and Ben had gleefully jumped into Kevin's ever-improving car to go off to the city. It was better this way, anyway. Rook was much easier to talk sensibly to.

So after the lecture, as people started filing out of the auditorium, Gwen seized her opportunity. If her experience with boys was anything to go by, a direct approach was the only reliable option.

"So Rook," she started, making him look her way. "Have you considered asking Ben out?"

Rook stumbled and almost fell over, just barely catching himself in time. Gwen laughed and then apologised, helping Rook to stand up straight again. She hadn't meant to laugh, it was just inevitably hilarious when someone as graceful as the sure-footed Plumber literally tripped all over himself.

"A-ask Ben out? Meaning, on a...date?"

Rook cringed inwardly at how shaky and sputtery his voice sounded. He was just taken aback by the sudden statement - to put it mildly. He had never expected nor believed that his relationship with Ben Tennyson would exceed friendship, and thus Rook had kept the idea out of his mind. If he let it in, he ran the risk of his feelings affecting his judgement and fighting capability, which was unacceptable.

His feelings... _those_ feelings, at least, were ones he thought he had successfully kept hidden. But apparently at least Gwen had picked up on them, or she would not have broached the subject. Why had she done so, in any case? So casually and cheerfully? Gwen was not one to pull cruel pranks such as teasing someone about feelings which would never be returned. And they never would be, as far as Rook knew. Thinking of this harsh reality brought an uncomfortable sinking feeling to his chest.

"Yes, on a date." Gwen said with a playful smile. Rook stared at her with wide eyes. "Since you two clearly have a thing for each other, I figured it was about time. And since Ben's hopeless and probably won't ever have the guts to do it…"

Rook blinked and shook his head furiously, as if to confirm that his eyes and ears were working correctly. Had Gwen just suggested that they _both_ 'had a thing for each other'? How could that be? Thinking back, Rook tried to recall any aspect of his interactions with Ben which suggested romantic affection. He _had_ caught Ben glancing at him for oddly long periods of time when he thought Rook wasn't looking, but Rook had brushed it off as something humans just did that he didn't understand.

"Why...why do you suggest that I do that?" Rook started carefully, heart starting to pound in his chest. "I thought...I assumed...is Ben even attracted to males?!"

"Well, he doesn't let on about it. But I can read him better than anyone, and trust me, he's into guys just as much as he's into girls. I've known it ever since we were twelve and I caught him making googly eyes at the posters of male celebrities in my room."

"Alright...but...me? I do not think…" Rook lowered his head, his voice dropping a bit. "I do not think Ben has those kinds of feelings for me in particular."

Gwen shook her head and smiled gently. She placed a comforting hand on Rook's shoulder.

"Yes he does, Rook. You may not have noticed it, but other people have. It's as obvious as you having feelings for him."

Rook's chest did an odd, sprightly flip-flopping motion that felt better than he cared to admit. He was still having trouble wrapping his head around the idea of Ben returning his feelings though, and it must have shown, since Gwen continued on.

"Look, if you still don't believe me, check this out. Don't tell Kevin that I showed you this, but it's a text between us from this morning."

Rook took the offered phone and read the message exchange that Gwen had pulled up.

 **Gwen** : Don't forget, Ben & Rook are coming today

 **Kevin** : So what, we gonna double date? [cheeky winking emoji]

 **Gwen** : Oh lay off them, they're not there yet. Give them time! [smiling emoji]

 **Kevin** : Well they should hurry I'm dying 2 start driving Ben crazy w all the furry jokes I can think of!

 **Gwen** : [eye rolling emoji]

Rook paled a bit but kept his composure. _Kevin_ had picked up on it? Who else had figured it out? Was it really so obvious? Was...was this why Shar had winked after suggesting he say hello to Ben, during their last video chat?

Gwen, sensing Rook's internal conflict, patted him on his shoulder. She grinned up at him when their eyes met.

"At least think about it, okay?" she said as they started on their way out of the auditorium. "I'm telling you, it'll go better than you think."

Rook smiled, finally starting to be at ease. He definitely would think about it.

Rook turned Gwen's words over and over in his head during the next week. It was still unbelievable to think that his feelings for Ben might not be unrequited after all. When Rook realised, several months ago, that a shift had occurred in his feelings towards Ben, he had tried to keep it quiet. Apparently his behaviour had been less subtle than he had thought, but Rook was sure that his performance as a Plumber had not been affected. After all, he had been trained not only physically but mentally.

That didn't stop his feelings from weighing heavy on his mind at times though. In addition to Ben being unlikely to return his affections, Rook was aware that Ben's destiny seemed to be pre-written for him. This destiny did include him - as a Magister - working with Ben. But it did not include him as Ben's significant other. Was this destiny so set in stone, though? Ben had shared what Paradox had taught him, about different timelines and other versions of himself. As far as Rook understood, this left the possibility of other timelines branching off completely open. Not every timeline had to end up in the same place. He wasn't absolutely sure, but the idea of a future with Ben being possible was tantalising.

That was, of course, if Ben wanted a relationship with him in the first place. Gwen could have been wrong. Maybe she had interpreted Ben's signs incorrectly, and he didn't like Rook after all. Still, she had seemed so sure…Rook shook his head, dispersing the thoughts for now. He would return to the matter when the time felt right.

The time, as it turned out, felt right the following afternoon. Ben and Rook had finished putting a halt to Dr. Animo's latest harebrained scheme - a mission which had come to its climax that day. The kooky evil scientist was currently restrained on site, several meters from where Ben and Rook stood waiting for Plumber backup. The Omnitrix had just timed out, leaving Ben in his regular human form, and Rook's victory high was at its peak. Taking advantage of the happiness and adrenaline coursing through him, Rook spoke up.

"Ben," he started, catching the other's attention. "To celebrate our victory, would you like to go out to get something to eat or drink? Perhaps to Mr. Smoothie's to try their new seasonal flavour?"

"Yeah, sure!" Ben said instinctively, not quite catching the implication. "Should we call some other people too, you know, make it a victory party?"

"Uh…" Rook stumbled over his words suddenly, thrown off his stride. "I was thinking...hoping that...we could go together? Just the two of us?"

Ben blinked, running the words over in his head and trying to understand the subtext he was clearly missing. 'It almost sounds like…' His mouth opened as if to say something, but closed again. 'There's no way, he can't be…' Then from his right, down the corridor, came a surprising exclamation.

"He's trying to ask you on a date, you absolute idiot! Just say yes already and shut up, you're giving me a migraine!" Aloyisius Animo shouted from where he was restrained, clutching his temples and closing his eyes afterwards.

Fortunately, Plumber backup was arriving right at that moment to take Animo away, but not before the impact of his statement hit Ben like a sledgehammer. He made to take a step, but caught his foot on a piece of debris knocked off of a nearby kiosk. Ben was subsequently sent flying, landing in a heap on the ground after a comical flailing of limbs. Rook rushed over right away to help Ben up, forcefully ignoring any potential awkwardness their previous conversation may have caused.

He reached a hand out, and Ben took it, righting himself enough to look his partner in the face. Then their eyes met, and everything went a bit fuzzy for a second. Or it might have been an hour, for all either of them knew. Ben's heart sped up so much he might as well have been XLR8. And to be honest, he did kind of feel like running around at the speed of sound because he was so overwhelmed. His initial confusion had morphed first into surprise, then giddiness, and everything had gone up to eleven when he'd looked up at Rook and taken his hand. He couldn't believe it. Not only did Rook apparently feel the same way about Ben, he had even made the first move. The boys' eyes stayed locked on each other's as Ben stumbled up to his feet.

"Ben…" Rook started, his words rushing out too fast all of a sudden, as if afraid he wouldn't have time to say them all. "I...do not know for sure what your future holds. If the path you are on is already set. But -"

Ben's other hand came up to grasp Rook's, matching the hands which were still clutched from earlier.

"Screw destiny, or whatever." Ben said, cutting Rook off. "We can make a new path."

Ben then offered Rook a cheeky smile, although the weight of his sincerity showed in his eyes. Their hands squeezed together.

"So...that is a yes then, to the date?"

"It's a definite yes."


	3. Chapter 3

**A New Path  
** Chapter 3

It was only Mr. Smoothie's, and a location which they frequented to boot. But this was different...it was a _date_. A nervous but giddy energy buzzed through both Ben and Rook as they sat down at their usual table. Rook sat down first, leaving Ben to decide whether he should sit across from or next to his partner (Was he now a partner in more than one sense? Ben bit his lip to keep from breaking out into a too-obvious grin). Ben ended up choosing to sit next to Rook, so he could…

Ben's hand inched its way closer to Rook's, the back of which was still covered by the Proto-Armour. He wasn't sure why he was being so bashful. Thankfully once his fingers brushed over Rook's, Rook shifted his hand to face opposite of Ben's, lacing their fingers together. The two turned to face each other, the straw of Ben's smoothie still between his lips. He swallowed down a gulp of said beverage, rather ungracefully, and smiled. Ben was admittedly relieved to see that Rook seemed as nervous as he was, if the purple colour gathering on his cheeks was any indication.

Ben had started to weigh the pros and cons of scooting really close to Rook, so that their thighs would brush, when there was a crash and a siren somewhere on the street. Ben tried to keep his cursing silent, but he was pretty sure he let a few choice words slip out. That was SO typical.

He and Rook grabbed their half-finished smoothies and ran back to the Proto-TRUK to give chase to whatever idiot criminal had dared to interrupt them. It turned out - thankfully - to only be Liam, carrying a wingful of freshly printed notes from the nearby mint. He turned and saw Ben and Rook, but just squacked in indignation and kept running.

Ben and Rook caught up to the overgrown rooster on a bridge leading out of inner city Bellwood. Thankfully the traffic was light, the evening rush hour being over. Liam leapt on top of a van travelling over the bridge, prompting Ben to make his move and climb out of the Proto-TRUK's passenger side window. He slammed his hand down onto the Omnitrix as he stepped onto the vehicle's roof. Rath stepped out of the flash of electric green light and wasted no time jumping from car roof to car roof in pursuit of Liam.

"Lemme tell you something, chicken! Rath is gonna do to you what cats usually do to birds!" Rath shouted.

He caught up to Liam on top of a semi truck, and after a short fight, had the thief knocked out and restrained. Rath turned around to scope out the Proto-TRUK just in time to turn back into Ben Tennyson. Ben caught the eye of his partner, who was leaning out of the driver's side window, and gave him a thumbs up. When Rook's reaction turned from a smile into an alarmed expression in a fraction of a second, Ben barely had time to wonder what the sudden issue was before the hanging road sign smacked into his back.

Ben was knocked off of the semi and flung towards the side of the bridge, just managing to grab some of the cabling before he plummeted down to the busy highway below. By this time Rook had already pulled the Proto-TRUK to the shoulder and bounded out of it, and he managed to grab a hold of Ben seconds after Ben seized onto the cabling. Rook positioned himself so he wouldn't slip and pulled Ben back to safety, the powerful action causing both men to tumble backwards onto the sidewalk lining the edge of the bridge. Ben landed halfway on top of Rook, his left leg over Rook's right and his chest pressed to Rook's side.

In the heat and adrenaline of the moment, Ben laughed. Just a short burst as he was still catching his breath, but it was enough to tell Rook that Ben was alright. It certainly didn't hurt, either, that immediately following the laugh Ben shifted his position to be fully on top of Rook. Instinct commanded the more proper of the two to glance around quickly to make sure no one was staring, but as Ben shifted on top of him to bring their faces together, Rook suddenly didn't care anymore.

Perhaps it was forward of Ben to press his mouth against Rook's at that moment. It was even more forward of him to run his tongue over the seam of Rook's lips, and for Rook to respond by parting those lips. It was definitely bordering on scandalous for them to grab each other tightly as they kissed, eventually shifting so that Rook instead lay on top of Ben. Ben's hands clutched onto Rook's neck and shoulder, while Rook's hands gripped Ben's narrow hips. They melded together, pressed against the other as fully as their anatomy would allow. Then as the fog of adrenaline-fueled lust abated, both partners seemed to fully realise the setting they were currently in, and gingerly peeled themselves apart.

Rook, ever the Red Spot, managed to focus some attention on whether Liam was being properly apprehended. Luckily, the semi truck he was restrained on top of - as well as most other traffic - had come to a standstill, giving Plumber backup time to arrive and take Liam away. Once satisfied, he turned his attention back to Ben and helped him get back onto his feet. Following a compulsory check to see if Ben was injured, which luckily came up clean, Rook offered up a glowing smile. Ben returned the gesture.

"So...that was not quite your 'jog of the factory' first date, was it?"

Ben's smile broadened, his eyes narrowing with mirth.

"You mean 'run of the mill'. And no, it wasn't. Which I don't mind, but yeah, you wanna maybe go for a do-over? Get dinner this time?"

Rook's hands reached out to grab Ben's own, lacing their fingers together.

"I would consider that a privilege."


End file.
